PHYTIN AND PHOSPHORIC ACID ESTERS OF 



INOSITE.* 



R. J. ANDERSON. 



SUMMARY. 



1. The barium salt of phytic acid, C6K24O27P6, obtained from very 



dilute hydrochloric acid or 10 per ct. phytic-acid solutions 

 corresponds to the general formula CeHisOoyPeMs. Apparently 

 the same relation holds for other binary cases. 



2. From neutral or alkaline solutions salts of the general formula 



C6H12O27P6M6 are obtained. 



3. From very dilute acetic-acid solutions intermediate salts are 



formed. 



4. The acids isolated from the organic-phosphorus compound known 



as phytin, derived from different sources, have been shown to 

 be identical. The constitution of the substance, however, still 

 remains in doubt. 



5. Attempts to synthesize phytic acid by acting on inosite with dry 



phosphoric-acid in vacuum at i40°-i6o° C. failed. In this 

 reaction the tetra-phosphoric acid ester of inosite was produced. 



6. The tetra-phosphoric ester was found to be very similar to phytic 



acid. Its barium salt obtained from very dilute hydrochloric 

 acid solutions corresponds to the general formula C6H6(OH)20« 



[(P03H)2M]2. 



PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS. 



In continuation of the physiological investigation concerning the 

 metabolism of the organic-phcsphorus compound known as phytin, 

 which has been and is being carried out at this institution by Dr. 

 Jordan, a closer study of the chemical properties of this substance, 

 phytin, became necessary. Much work has already been done and 

 reported on this subject by various investigators. Definite infor- 

 mation, however, concerning different kinds of salts formed by the 

 free phytic acid or inosite phosphoric acid is seldom met with in the 

 literature. Frequently impure salts have been analyzed. 



Posternak, who first successfully prepared phytin in pure form,* 

 also studied its chemical properties. Among the salts mentioned^ is 

 one, calcium-magnesium, as well as one crystalline, calcium-sodium, 

 double salt, for which he gives the formula 2C2H4P209Na4-l- 

 C2H4P2Ca2-f-8H20. Winterstein^ describes a calcium-magnesium 

 compound which, after removing the calcium with oxalic acid and 

 precipitating with alcohol, contained 42.24 per ct. P2O5 and 12.97 

 per ct. MgO. Patten and Hart,* working in this laboratory, isolated 

 from whea t bran an impure magnesium-calcium-potassium com- 



1 Rev. gen. Bot. 12: 5; Compt. Rend. 137: 202. 



* Compt. Rend. 137: 337 and 439. 

 « Ber. deut. chem. Ges. 30: 2299. 



* Amer. Chem. Journal 31 : 566. 



*A reprint of Technical Bulletin No. 19, April, 1912. 



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